1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved device for holding board targets. More particularly it relates to a device which allows for hand holding of a martial arts kick practice board, in a position and manner to avoid injury to the holder as well as a mounting device which may be employed as a kit allowing the target board to be either hand held, bag held, or wall held, using one or a combination of mounting kit parts.
2. Prior Art
Martial arts has become a popular discipline on a world wide basis and is especially popular in the United States as a form of sport for physical exercise and also as a discipline to be learned for mental exercise. The ability of students and masters of the martial arts to focus the force of their punches and kicks is most important. This ability may be practiced in the mind and on phantom boards to obtain muscle memory of the required movements of body and legs. However, in order to master the various kicks and punches in a fashion that recreates real world uses, and to allow the student or master to practice their energy focus and to feel the results of focused force of a kick or punch, the breaking of boards is commonly employed. In use, one or a plurality of such boards are held at the proper level and distance as a target for the person to practice upon. The boards are conventionally held by another student or teacher in the hands which can lead to serious physical injury to the holder should the punch or kick hitting the practice board be off target. This is especially true when the target board is held in the hands of the assisting party which exposes the fingers of the holder to the foot or fist of the practicing student or demonstrating master of the martial art being practiced.
Currently popular for practice punching and kicking is the employment of plastic reusable boards which are manufactured with a breakable center seam that is engineered to give and break when struck with sufficient force and sufficiently on target. Such practice boards generally are of a hollow core plastic material with a tongue and groove center seam designed with the intended breaking qualities to yield to the appropriately landed blow is of sufficient force and on target.
However, as in the use of real wood boards, the holder does so at his peril should the practicing student miss the center and strike the holders fingers. Further, because of the angle of the hands and arms of the holder during such striking sessions, even if the practicing party is on target, the force transmitted by the board end to the awkwardly angled arms, hands, and wrists, of a holder can also cause injury to the holder. Various patents have attempted to address some of these hazards.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,378 (LeFebvre) teaches a portable karate kick board holder. However the device is bulky, and gripping its handles still leaves the holder with angles of the hand to forearm that are not the best to avoid injury.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,584 (Tilley) teaches a clamping type device for holding a board. However Tilley employs rubber clamps which must be threaded about the intended board and fails to provide a grip for the holder which will minimize potential injury from transmitted force.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,371 (Kirchner) teaches a wall mounted pipe which provides a mount for two arms which hold the board directly in front of the pipe. While there is no potential injury to a human holder, the user of this device faces serious injury to the hand or foot should either encounter the steel pipe directly behind the target board.
Thus, there is a continuing need for improvement in devices used in the area of target board holding for martial arts. In particular there is a need for such a device that easily mounts to and dismounts from, the target board, and provides protection from injury to the student as well as the holder.